On the Palace match thread someone said and I dont think it was tongue in cheek that it was good we rested players against 3rd division wigan to collect that point last night WTF? Whats wrong with players nowadays I knwo the game is faster etc etc but look at say tennis players and their exertions during a tournment. But in the space of 30 days we played 9 games in 71-72, one substitution was made in the entire 9!!! David LLewellyn on for Brooking. I cant for the life of me remember that bloke but however.

Nine tough games against quality opposition I was actually at the Spurs game and it was fantastic. But whats wrong with these guys ? for these 9 games its almost the same 11 everytime and that ManU team wasnt shabby Kidd, Law Charlton Best (G). Best (C) was busy giving Spurs an Xmas shocker. So high class athletes that are high maintainance or a bunch of overpaid prima donnas and diving poofs nowadays?

Watch the cup games between championship and lower teams against the premier teams. When there is a tackle the premier players are screaming and rolling around while the non Prem players get up if they can and get on with it, if they go down in the first place.

No shin pads... No protection from refs... 'kin awful pitches to play on... crap transport up and down the motorways for away games... catching the tube to home games... meat pud and spuds pre match meal... half time fag... and a 3 hour session after in the Black Lion... proper blokes

I've been hearing it since I started watching in the 70s. The game is constantly changing and players certainly have it better. But I think it's more down to the amount of money involved that clubs seek to protect their investments and have competitive teams for each game.

Remember the Stoke matches like they were yesterday.Brooking glided over the mud heap pitches.Cannot think of 1 player in our current first team SQUAD let alone Team who would have survived so many games over a short period. MONEY is the answer sadly. Brooking Bonds Moore did what they did for the Club/Badge/Shirt not just for thier pockets IMO

Whilst I agree that modern people are softer (in the same way that people from the 1970s would be pansies compared to people from the 1870s), I don't think that's why footballers struggle to play as many games these days.

The modern game is incredibly athletic and (West Ham excepted) the players are athletes playing at full pelt whenever they're on the pitch. Whilst their predecessors were fit a lot of them would struggle to last 90 minutes in the current game.

Without a question although the I do think the majority of current players would prefer to play every game and dislike squad rotation.

What gets my goat is the injury feigning. I hate it when a player goes down like he's been gunned down, receives five minutes of treatment, gets carried off and then sprints back on the field as if nothing happened.

In the same way bans are being handed out for diving this needs to be seriously looked at. I'd even prefer a rule that a physio has say one minute to treat and get an injured player off the pitch or get forced to sub him off.

Just because modern day footballers can run around more means fuck all... never seen so many soft muscle injuries in all my life... look at the Liverpool team from the 70-80's ... they used to regularly play between 60-70 games a season... and they used to win a fair bit... that was with primitive travel and eating meat pud and spuds before the match... Modern day football is fucking shit ... oh and the players are pansies

yes, they are brittle and soft as shite these days. most in the game now wouldn't have lasted five minutes on the shocking pictures and horrific tackling that was allowed in the past, and you don't have to go too far back as players like martin allen were a different breed to the cunts now

Due to the weather in 85-86 we had a serious amount of games in a short period as well including several replays against Ipswich in the FA Cup.

My argument to anyone who claims it's harder nowadays, is that it may be quicker etc, but they don't have to play on muscle draining bogs like they used too and are fitter than players used to be anyway.

The entire world has become a bit of a cunt really and full of poofs who want to find offence in literally everything.